The Western diet is considered a pro-inflammatory diet, because consumption of the diet significantly upregulates the inflammatory pathways in the tissues. This inflammation in turn increases the oxidative stress experienced. Oxidative stress is a condition whereby the generation and propagation of free radicals and other reactive oxygen species, increases to a level that overwhelms the natural cellular antioxidant defences of the cell. As oxidative stress continues, there is a general deterioration in the condition of the cell and its contents, and the tissues eventually succumb to disease. The nature of the disease will vary between individuals, and will depend on the tissues that are under the greatest oxidative stress, but a number of Western lifestyle diseases including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, cancer and arthritis have been shown to be caused in part by excess oxidative stress generated from inflammation. Controlling oxidative stress is therefore pivotal to health.
Antioxidant supplements may prevent the development of oxidative stress because they inhibit the generation and propagation of free radicals. The ingredients in the supplement used in this study were modest in amount and included 120 mg ascorbic acid, 30 mg vitamin E, 6 mg β-carotene, 100 mg selenium, and 20 mg zinc. Even at this low dose, the antioxidant supplement group had a significant reduction in the risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease and cancer. Diets high in antioxidant nutrients may also be effective, as diets generally contain a wider range and larger amount of antioxidants compared to supplements. Plant diets are particularly high in antioxidant nutrients including polyphenols and carotenoids. The benefit of consuming a high plant diet is that it also decreases the inflammation that is the cause of the oxidative stress, because high plant diets are low in inflammation generating foods. A high plant diet with selected supplements of antioxidant nutrients may be the optimal strategy to improve health.
Diets high in antioxidants may protect individuals from the damage of inflammation and oxidative stress because the additional antioxidants aid in the cellular defence from free radicals. Dietary supplements containing antioxidants may also be useful in this regard. For example, in one study, researchers fed over 8000 participants a low dose antioxidant supplement for 8 years and then assessed the quality of their diets with a food questionnaire. The results of the study showed that those individuals with a pro-inflammatory diet (as measured by an inflammation index) had a significant increase in the risk of mortality from cancer and cardiovascular disease. However, in those subjects taking the low dose antioxidant supplement, there was no increase in the risk of mortality. The authors suggested that the antioxidant supplement was able to protect from the damaging effects of the pro-inflammatory diet by supplying additional antioxidants that prevented the generation of oxidative stress in the tissues.
Eat Well, Stay Healthy, Protect Yourself
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